The International Bureau of Exhibitions (BIE) is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for overseeing and regulating world exhibitions, which it has been doing since 1931.
EXPO is a global event that brings the world together in a great and collective endeavour to find solutions to the challenges humanity is facing.
Belgrade and Serbia will host the Specialised Expo exhibition from 15 May to 15 August 2027. EXPO 2027 Belgrade will be held in a special area in the City municipality of Surčin, near Nikola Tesla Airport, on a 25-hectare exhibition space.
It is estimated that 120 countries, as well as international organisations and companies, will participate in the Specialised Exhibition, and that Serbia will host around 3 million domestic and foreign visitors, resulting in a total of 4.5 million visits during the three-month duration of the exhibition.
Specialised Exhibitions, officially known as “International Recognised Exhibitions”, are global events designed to address the challenges that humanity faces. The theme of the Specialised Exhibition in Belgrade is “Play for Humanity: Sports and Music for All” and it focuses on the importance of games, sports and music and their contribution to the development of humanity.
As play is an important part of human development and evolution, not only in early childhood but throughout life, play for humanity reflects global matters and challenges of further human development in a rapidly changing digital and technological society. EXPO 2027 Belgrade promotes play as a human superpower and the foundation of human resilience and empowerment, but at the same time emphasises that play calls for unity, togetherness, and creativity. Play for Humanity is the central theme of the exhibition highlighting the necessity of constantly reinterpreting and reinventing the world around us through the prism of play and playfulness. It is divided into three thematic units that explore play as an essential part of human progress and development, as well as the various forms in which it appears.
EXPO is a global event that brings the world together in a great and collective endeavour to find solutions to the challenges humanity is facing. The host country, selected by winning the most votes from BIE member countries through the candidacy process, organises these events. These events gather millions of visitors and are considered a catalyst for change in the host countries, especially considering that EXPO has a transformative power in shaping the perception of the host country in the world and drawing attention to its capacities and achievements. At the same time, EXPO is an opportunity to promote diplomacy, and the economic and cultural development resulting from the organisation of EXPO is an incentive for sustainable urban transformation, affecting architecture, urban planning, transportation, as well as intangible areas such as culture and education.
According to International Bureau of Exhibitions BIE (Bureau International des Expositions, BIE), there are three types of exhibitions: World Expos (held every five years, lasting up to six months), Specialised Expos (held once between the two World Expos, lasting up to three months), and Horticultural Expos (held between two World Expos, with a minimum two-year gap, lasting up to six months).
EXPO World Exhibitions are a global gathering of nations dedicated to finding solutions to the pressing challenges of our times. These exhibitions are particularly interesting because some of the greatest technological and scientific achievements of their time were first presented to the public, such as alternating current, the telephone, touchscreen technology and many others. EXPO exhibitions also left the world with permanent architectural legacies and some of the most famous buildings in the world, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Atomium in Brussels, the Oceanarium and the new trade fair in Lisbon.
Belgrade and Serbia will host the Specialised EXPO exhibition in 2027 and present themselves as the world capital of education, culture, and innovation. Belgrade won at the General Assembly of the International Bureau of Exhibitions in Paris, in fierce competition against the Spanish Malaga, the American Minnesota, the Thai Phuket, and the Argentinian Bariloche. As the host of this event, Belgrade joins a 170-year-long history of events that have changed the world and pushed the boundaries of civilisation.
In the coming years, we can expect a large number of events and manifestations where we will present EXPO 2027 Belgrade. Also, we will organise events that will properly announce everything that can be expected in Belgrade in 2027. In addition, we will host expert meetings and symposiums, aimed at involving relevant institutions and organisations, as well as project ambassadors. Although EXPO exhibitions themselves generate great interest from the world, including the media, we want to take full advantage of the opportunity to showcase all of our achievements and capacities both before and during the exhibition, in order to secure long-term collaborations, partnerships, and investments. The EXPO 2027 Belgrade project will be presented at the EXPO exhibition in Osaka 2025, where we will have the opportunity to showcase our project to the delegations from around the world.
In anticipation of the EXPO 2027 Belgrade, numerous activities are planned. One group of activities are various artistic interventions in multiple cities in Serbia with the aim of informing citizens about the exhibition. The second group promotes the concept of “Play for Humanity” in order to communicate the values and significance of play to the wider public through structured play in educational institutions. The outcomes of these activities will be presented during the event through indoor and outdoor exhibitions at EXPO. By offering diverse experiences before and after the main event, EXPO plays with spatial and temporal constraints, transcending physical boundaries and expanding beyond conventional frameworks. Playfulness begins long before the opening ceremony and continues both during and after through the heritage of a museum type.
It is expected that the organisation of EXPO 2027 Belgrade will result in a wide range of socio-economic changes, benefiting both the local population and the city of Belgrade, the Republic of Serbia, and the wider region.
Since Belgrade will become a global hub for idea exchange in 2027, we will have the opportunity to see the latest technological trends presented at the Exhibition. The Exhibition highlights the key role of play in improving mutual understanding, fostering innovation, and facilitating interpersonal contacts, which requires the implementation of a wide range of infrastructure development projects. This infrastructure will be built to meet the immediate operational requirements of the exhibition, but it also aims to bring lasting, sustainable benefits to the community. The legacy of EXPO 2027 entails new physical infrastructure, improvement of access and transport networks, as well as the implementation of state-of-the-art technologies. It will also include permanent spaces and facilities – exhibition halls and open spaces, creating a whole new universe. It will contribute to a deeper understanding of the organisation and management of such events, and thus introduce new approaches to connecting people, strengthening the economy, and establishing contacts among people.
The Specialised EXPO exhibition will be held in an area that is well connected by transportation between the Belgrade bypass and the “Miloš Veliki” highway, near the “Nikola Tesla” Airport. A National Stadium, Aquatics Centre, and a new fair will be constructed there. All necessary accompanying traffic, municipal and energy infrastructure will be built.
EXPO 2027 Belgrade will contribute to the development of the capital, as well as the economy of the entire country. The organisation of the exhibition will have an impact on the increase in construction works, as well as the construction of new hotels, the National Stadium, the Fair, the river port, etc. The organisation of this event will have a significant impact on Serbia’s GDP, with the largest influx expected through hospitality, tourism, hotel industry, and other activities. Consequently, this will also mean higher economic growth and a stronger economy. The event itself will also attract foreign capital to Serbia, which is becoming an even more attractive investment destination. EXPO 2027 Belgrade will significantly impact the increase in employment and the creation of new jobs. Large infrastructure projects will be built, and they will be used long after the exhibition, following their conversion.
Belgrade and Serbia will present themselves as a global capital of education, culture, sports, art, and innovation during the Exhibition. It is estimated that we will have over 4.2 million visits during the three-month exhibition. All of them, as well as media attention and public interest, provide an opportunity to present our economic and technological potential, science, culture, art, history to the world, along with the vision of Serbia’s future, as the largest regional centre and capital of innovation and development in this part of Europe.
It is estimated that Serbia will generate revenue of around EUR 1.1 billion just from the exhibition and during its duration, not including all activities before and after the exhibition.
